


Rei's Sixteenth Year

by squirrelmort



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Reigisa Week, merman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-17
Updated: 2014-06-17
Packaged: 2018-02-05 02:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1802014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squirrelmort/pseuds/squirrelmort
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei is swimmer faster than ever until he suddenly quits. Nagisa wants to know why.<br/>Written for day 3 of Reigisa Week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rei's Sixteenth Year

Nagisa didn’t understand it. Rei was finally improving, after literally _months_ of struggling. His times kept getting shorter. Pretty soon he would probably catch up to Rin. And, in a turn of events Nagisa found even more exciting, they had started dating. But then he suddenly quit. No explanation. He just showed up at practice one day, said he quit, and left.

Nagisa followed him. “Rei-chan!”

Rei continued walking. Nagisa walked faster. “Rei-chan!” he called again. Rei sped up. Nagisa started running. “Rei-chan, stop!”

Rei considered running, but decided that (1) he would look pretty silly running away from Nagisa, and (2) he would have to confront him eventually anyway. He stopped and waited for Nagisa to catch up to him.

“Why, Rei-chan?”

Rei adjusted his glasses. “I need to focus on my studies.”

“No, you don’t,” Nagisa retorted. “You’re already the top student in the class.” Rei had no reply. “Did we do something? Did I do something?”

Rei hugged his frowning boyfriend to his chest. “No, no, it’s nothing like that.”

“Then why?” Nagisa asked, voice muffled. Rei let go and took a step back.

“I just have to,” he said, and started to leave. This time, Nagisa let him.

* * *

 

Rei could hardly say he was surprised when Nagisa showed up at his apartment later that day. He still smelled of chlorine. Without saying anything, Nagisa marched in, heading straight for Rei’s room. He waited until Rei closed the door before speaking. What he said surprised Rei.

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking Rei in the eyes.

Rei blinked. He had expected an interrogation. Questions. Accusations. Anger. Not an apology. “For what?” he said.

“I never should’ve forced you to join the swim team. You said you didn’t want to. I understand why you quit—you never really liked swimming. I’m sorry I made you stay this whole time.”

“That’s not why I quit,” Rei responded, then immediately cursed himself, realizing he had just prompted more questioning.

“Then why?” Nagisa asked. “Do you want to break up with me? Because you don’t have to quit the swim team! We can still be friends!”

“Nagisa-kun, why would you think that?”

“I just can’t think of any other reason! You’re times are improving, you’re getting along with everyone, you even seem to be enjoying the water more! So why did you decide to quit?”

“I just have to,” Rei answered, fully aware of what a weak excuse that was.

Nagisa finally looked down. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw that Rei’s normally neat table was covered in books. What was he researching this time? He picked one up to see…

“Nagisa-kun, that’s not important!” Rei reached out to grab the book from him, but he was too slow. Nagisa had already seen what it was. He sat down and looked at the rest of the books.

“Rei-chan… why are you reading about mermaids?”

“Uh…” Rei didn’t know how to reply.

“Does this have something to do with why you quit?” Nagisa asked, then started to laugh. “Don’t tell me you were upset because you can never be a mermaid... because we already went through that drama with Haru-chan.”

How did that not surprise him? “Merman,” Rei replied, then realized that was so not the point.

“What?”

Rei sighed. “Merman. Mermaids are female. Haruka-senpai would be a merman.” Rei paused before quietly adding, “Like me.”

“What?!” Nagisa’s eyes narrowed. “Stop making things up. I’m not a child.”

“Follow me,” Rei said, leading Nagisa into the bathroom. He turned on the sink and stuck his right arm under the running water. Nagisa watched suspiciously. For a second nothing seemed to happen besides Rei’s arm getting wet. Then suddenly scales started to appear. Nagisa’s eyes widened.

“Whoa, Rei-chan, what are those?”

Rei switched off the water. “Scales. They appear when I get in the water.”

“So that’s why you quit the swim team?” Nagisa asked, and Rei nodded. Nagisa reached out, then hesitated. “Can I touch them?” Rei nodded again. Nagisa gingerly prodded Rei’s arm with one finger, then quickly ran his whole hand over the scales and giggled. “You feel like a fish!”

“I know!” Rei snapped, adjusting his glasses with the hand Nagisa wasn’t examining.

“When did this start?”

“About a week ago? On my birthday.”

“Ah.” Nagisa replied, as if that explained everything.

“Apparently I’m descended from merfolk. My mother went through the same thing at sixteen. I can learn to control it, but it’s going to take time. But you see I can’t be on the swim team if I just spontaneously sprout fins whenever I get wet.”

Nagisa’s eyes snapped from Rei’s arm to his face. “And then you can rejoin the team, right?”

Rei had not expected Nagisa to take this so well. “Yeah, I suppose…”

“Then we just have to teach you to control it,” Nagisa announced, pulling Rei back into his room. “Do these books tell you how, or should we just talk to your mom?”

“One of the books has some meditation techniques to help me focus, and otherwise it’s mostly just concentration and practice…”

Nagisa threw his arms around Rei’s neck. “I can’t believe I’m dating a mermaid!” He cheered.

“Merman,” Rei corrected.

Nagisa just giggled. “Haru-chan is going to be so jealous.”

“We aren’t telling anyone else!”

“Aw…” Nagisa pouted. After a brief staring contest, Rei sighed.

“Fine… but only the team!” Nagisa grinned and nuzzled his head into Rei’s shoulder.

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by The Thirteenth Year, except I haven't seen the movie in years and all I really remember is that a thirteen-year-old turns into a merman.


End file.
